While it may be true that Asus’ Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (UX9702) is the first 17.3-inch laptop with a folding display, there have been other laptops before it. That honour belongs to Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold, which had a 13.3-inch folding display. A second-generation model with a 16.3-inch folding display was released a few months later. There appears to be some promise for such a product, despite how specialized it may be, as HP is allegedly also working on a product that is comparable to the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Design
It nearly seems as though ASUS copied the ThinkPad X1 Fold’s design, enlarged it, and then used it as the basis for the Zenbook 17 Fold. It’s true that the leather panels and some stunning frosted glass on the back of the Zenbook make it a touch more attractive, but it’s obvious that ASUS didn’t aim to stray too far from Lenovo’s model. We have a large flexible OLED display with a built-in kickstand and a detachable magnetic keyboard that perfectly fits inside the space created when the device is folded in half. I should mention that the display doesn’t have any noticeable creases. Even while it weighs just over four pounds (4.04 to be exact) and measures 1.25 inches thick in clamshell form, the Zenbook 17 Fold is still lighter than many other comparably sized conventional laptops like Dell’s XPS 17. You can buy this laptop from its official website
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: keyboard and touch pad
You must use the Zenbook 17 Fold in conjunction with Asus’ specific keyboard accessory to maximise its potential. This is something that the manufacturer kindly provided in the box, and it is essential for making the most of this equipment. Since the Zenbook 17 Fold connects over Bluetooth, practically any wireless keyboard with touchpad is compatible with it. The main benefit of the official version is its ability to seamlessly attach to the bottom half of the foldable display. With powerful magnets holding it firmly in place, this turns the device into a little laptop. I’m impressed with the quality of the keyboard that Asus has produced, especially given its tiny form. Each key has a satisfying 1.4mm of travel and is clicky and responsive. The keys are still full-size, and I quickly adapted to their slightly closer spacing than usual. The row of function keys is also used to modify Bluetooth and open the MyAsus companion app in addition to standard volume and brightness controls.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Display
When the gadget is turned off, the display crease is noticeable, and when it is on, it can be made out when looking at it from the right or left. When the Center of the screen is touched, it may also be felt. It has no impact on how it is used, though. In actuality, whenever I worked on it, it was never apparent. I had the opportunity to utilise it for over four weeks, and neither the display crease nor the underlying hinge experienced any problems.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Audio
Daily performance is outstanding thanks to the 16GB of DDR5 RAM that Iris Xe has built in. My usual workday involves a lot of word processing, regular web browser, and monitoring email – frequently all three at once. Even when I periodically needed to watch a video or play some audio, I had almost no lag. The Zenbook 17 Fold excels at multitasking and can handle heavier demands like light gaming or photo editing. However, I wouldn’t suggest it for anything more demanding if it didn’t have a separate GPU. Although it’s disappointing that feature isn’t there on such a high-end tablet, Asus’ focus have rightly been elsewhere.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Graphics
Some games, like Asphalt 9 Legends, had some trouble running smoothly at the native resolution of the display, but they performed better in laptop mode. More recent games presented the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED with even greater difficulties. Even with the lowest graphics settings, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was barely playable in 1080p. The part of the body that houses the CPU and cooling fan does become hot under stress, but you rarely feel the heat unless you are holding that end of the body. Even if you place your ear close to the exhaust region, you can hardly hear the fan.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Performance
The Zenbook 17 Fold performed nicely for our typical weekday tasks, web browsing, and moderate Photoshop use because of its ample capacity and quick storage. Don’t anticipate a performance machine, though; the Intel i7 1250U is a low-wattage processor made for thin and light notebooks, so don’t expect it to be one. Although this processor will provide more than enough power for most users, we couldn’t resist doing some video editing because of the enormous and opulent display. The computer really started to struggle when Adobe Premiere was used to combine 4K 60fps clips from the DJI Osmo Action 3. This is not a creative workhorse. The performance is a bit underwhelming given the product’s high pricing. You’re paying dearly for the R&D that went into creating this special gadget. Even so, nothing quite like it is available on the market, so if you don’t want that much processing power, you might not be turned off.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Battery life and heat
A power key with an LED, air vents, a battery charger indicator, a 3.5mm headphone / audio jack, and a Thunderbolt 4 connection (for data transfer / charging) are all visible on the topside of the device when it is opened. It includes additional air vents on the bottom. Both the right and left speaker are accessible. The Dolby Vision Atoms and Harman/Kardon logos are also present on the right side, whilst the volume button and another Thunderbolt 4 connection are located on the left side. Internally, the motherboard, processor, RAM, SSD storage, cooling fan, and other parts are housed in the top half of the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. The middle portion houses an exclusive hinge made by Asus, and the other half houses the battery.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Configuration options
But the Zenbook’s software, clunky Bluetooth keyboard, and $3,500 price are where it falls short. The brief time I’ve had with Lenovo’s 2022 ThinkPad X1 Fold, though, is what’s actually keeping me from embracing it. That’s because Lenovo developed a brand-new chassis with a more compact hinge, a revised keyboard, and a redesigned stand for its second-generation flexible laptop. Additionally, Lenovo kept its support for styluses and military-grade durability, neither of which are present on the Zenbook. The Zenbook 17 Fold so feels less like a serious competitor to Lenovo’s next-generation foldable and more like a refined take on a bit dated design, despite being an outstanding first attempt and improving the category as a whole.
Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED review: Conclusion
One of the most innovative laptop designs I’ve seen in recent memory is the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. I can say with confidence that it’s a decent laptop now that I’ve used it at home and on the move, one on which you can expect to work or play without worrying that it would suddenly flop closed or split in half if you type too quickly. In fact, I believe some of the unique ways you might use it are beneficial and of exploring. We particularly enjoy how it can be folded into a clamshell and then used that way to effectively stack two 12.5-inch monitors on top of one another by laying the keyboard out in front of you or on your lap. You essentially have a dual-screen system on a laptop that fits into a carrying case, and you can place the keyboard wherever it is most comfortable for you in terms of ergonomics. I used the laptop in this manner for the majority of the time I was writing this review, and if I could, I wouldn’t stop — I’d prefer that every laptop have an OLED display that is both bendable and touchable like this one.
